Elina lies on her bed and stares at the white ceiling. It was just after seven in the morning and her day was about to begin. She crossed her arms behind her head and blew a strand of hair away from her face. As the sun cast a warm glow over her room, a light breeze carried the scent of freshly cut grass inside. Elina took a deep breath and sighed. This day would be like any other, rather dull and far from exciting.
Her eyes wandered to a pile of dirty clothes scattered carelessly on the floor. At that moment she thought of Sabrina, the maid who cleaned the house every day. Wasn’t that a monotonous job?
In the last few months, Elina had been thinking about her life, especially about the boring daily routine. She was constantly forced into the role of the obedient girl, just because she was the daughter of two well-known and respected people. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t be anyone else, and that fact gnawed at her. She was tired of her parents telling her what to do, how to act, what words to use, where to go, and what time to be home. They controlled every aspect of her life, always using the same excuse that it was for her own good.
Suddenly, Sabrina walked into the room.
„Good morning, are you ready for school?“ she asked Elina.
Elina rolled her eyes in annoyance and slowly sat up.
„Sabrina, I’m not ten years old anymore…“
„You know your parents don’t like it when you’re late.“
„So what?“
When Elina lazily got out of bed and got her bag, Sabrina started to tidy up the room. She did most of the housework, whether it was cooking, laundry, or cleaning the windows. That’s what the staff was for. At least, that’s all Elina had ever known, and the other private school students had household help, too.
Elina went to the dressing room, put on her shoes, slipped into her blazer and left the house. She had decided a few years ago to stop being chauffeured to school. She enjoyed the morning air before the hectic school day began. The streets were still relatively quiet. Cars were few and far between, and the birds were chirping. It was her favorite time of day.
As she walked through a small park on her way to school, she found solace and relaxation. The sun was slowly making its way over the city’s buildings, and she noticed a few people jogging or walking their dogs in the park. But this morning, a girl in the adjacent skate parkskate park The skate park is the place where Wealth at her feet truly begins. It is not just background scenery
Elina stopped for a moment to watch the girl. Her short blue hair danced in the wind as she gracefully maneuvered her skateboard over the rails. She looked incredibly elegant and it was obvious that she had a lot of practice. Elina didn’t even realize at first that her mouth was hanging open in amazement. The girl was incredibly skilled and, on top of that, extremely attractive. But she couldn’t linger too long, because school was waiting for her. She sighed and continued on her way.
But the girl noticed Elina’s gaze and didn’t seem too pleased.
„What are you staring at?“ she asked aggressively. Elina quickly looked away and hurried to the school.
The school day was as expected, rather uneventful. Well, just like any other day in the last few weeks. But for some reason, Elina couldn’t stop thinking about the girl at the skate park. She admired her for her carefree attitude, the way she effortlessly performed tricks on her skateboard, and the rebellious look in her eyes. Elina would give anything to be a little more like her, or at least to have friends like her. But the only people around her were overachieving kids with overachieving parents.
As Elina tried to concentrate on her lessons, different thoughts raced through her mind. And when the school day finally ended and Elina returned to the park, she spotted the girl on her skateboard again.
Elina stopped for a moment and hesitated. Should she sit on a bench and just watch her? Or should she walk by as usual?
Normally, the answer would be to walk by. But that would be exactly what her parents expected of her. So, without thinking too much, she sat down on a bench a few meters away from the skate park and tried to watch the girl as inconspicuously as possible. She didn’t want the girl to confront her like before. On the other hand, she couldn’t help but watch as the girl gracefully glided through the air on her skateboard.
Elina couldn’t take her eyes off her. She admired so much about her – her skills, her unique style… There was so much about her that Elina could only dream of. She seemed so… free? As if no one could tell her what to do or how to act. She was just herself.
Elina longed to be able to say the same about herself.
As the sun began to set behind the city’s skyline, the girl jumped off her skateboard, picked it up, and walked away. Elina was a little disappointed, but at the same time she was glad to have had the chance to watch her skate.
Maybe she would have the courage to approach her tomorrow. Her curiosity about this person was just too overwhelming. What did she do besides skate? Where did she live?
But for today, she packed her backpack and went home. It was time to go home. And as she walked through the park, the world around her slowly fading into darkness, she thought about how this day, which had started out like any other, suddenly felt so different. And she couldn’t wait to see what would happen tomorrow.
Since the next day didn’t seem to be very eventful, Elina couldn’t stop thinking about the skater girl. She hoped to see her again after school, even though she felt pretty stupid about it. After all, she didn’t even know the girl. And what difference would it make to her monotonous life to watch her skate? But none of that mattered. For this short time, she could escape into her own little dream world, where she enjoyed spending time with this girl.
When Elina returned to the park after school, she could already hear the sound of skateboard wheels in the distance. A wide smile spread across her face. Without hesitation, Elina sat down on the same bench and watched eagerly as the skateboarder performed her tricks.
While the girl immersed herself in her tricks, she occasionally threw discreet glances at Elina. Meanwhile, Elina daydreamed about what it would be like to have the girl as a friend in her life. She also wondered how her life would have turned out if she had become someone like the skater girl.
But suddenly the girl got off her skateboard and approached Elina. She took Elina by surprise and her heart began to race.
„Hey, why are you watching me?“ she asked, obviously annoyed.
„Uh, I… I’m sorry, I just… I think it’s really cool how you do your tricks…“
„Sure. You want to make fun of me when I wipe out?“
„What?! No! I would never do that!“
„Are you from the private school?“ the girl asked in a rough tone.
„Um, yeah… I’m on my way back, and I thought I’d sit here and watch you… uh, my name is Elina.“
„Ah, so you’re one of those rich kids, huh? The ones who have no problems in life and have everything handed to them on a silver platter?“
Elina was shocked by the girl’s tone towards her.
„And what are you doing here? Go away.“
„I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. I just really enjoy watching you skate. Nothing more, really.“
„Ugh… Whatever…“
„So, would you be okay with it?“
The girl shrugged.
„If you want. As long as you don’t get on my nerves, do whatever you want.“
And when the girl got back on her skateboard, Elina was quite happy.
„By the way, I’m Chloe,“ she said as she continued her tricks.